


Snapshots

by PKAquaFlame



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Humor, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2017-12-29
Packaged: 2018-12-23 05:18:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11982981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PKAquaFlame/pseuds/PKAquaFlame
Summary: Behind each snapshot is a precious memory. Some of them may not be so great, but they were still proof that the adventure he had - and the friendships that were made - weren't just some lonely boy's dream.A one-shot compilation centering around Prompto. Starts out as one of those '50 Sentences' challenges, but there will be drabbles for each word (in no particular order).





	1. Snapshots

**Author's Note:**

> I got the challenge from this site (http://harmony283.livejournal.com/130493.html) and since Prompto's my favorite out of the four I figured I'd do something like this.

  1. Blame - Prompto doesn't know who to blame; Noct for hurting him, or himself for thinking he could ever be good enough.
  2. Proof - After he gets rescued, Prompto becomes wary that it's all another trick.
  3. Assistance - He's always the first one to rush to a teammate's aid.
  4. Going - Why _is_ Prompto the one who always gets the front seat, anyway?
  5. Birthday - Prompto never truly celebrated his birthday; to him October 25th is just like any other day.
  6. Scientist - Whenever he tries calling Ignis by his full name, he slips and says 'Scientist' instead of 'Scientia'.
  7. Silent - Unless he's sleeping, Prompto can't really stand silence.
  8. Behalf - He was told it was for the greater good, but Prompto wasn't sure if he could believe it.
  9. Rumor(ed) - He hears a rumor that Lady Lunafreya is alive, and he knew he had to tell Noct.
  10. Tip - THey've all lost count of how many times Prompto's asked for tips about things.
  11. Idle - Honestly, it's those days where they do nothing but drive that are among Prompto's favorites.
  12. Brother - Cid called them brothers, and it felt like a kick to the stomach.
  13. Beneath - He was so happy to be a part of this, even though he was probably the lowest in status.
  14. Redecorate - He knows that it's probably out of the question, but he gets the chocobo decal anyway.
  15. Gravitation - There are times when Prompto gets a little anxious if he's not near Noct.
  16. Kilt - "It's not a kilt, it's just a part of my jacket!" 
  17. Afterthought - In the end, Prompto never got to thank Lady Lunafreya.
  18. Unearth - He's heard that the truth could set you free, but what he's unearthed may very well bury him.
  19. Shield - Prompto wouldn't lie, Gladio intimidated the living daylights out of him when they met.
  20. Blacklist - If he never sees or hears from Ardyn ever again, it would be way too soon.
  21. Misquoted - Autocorrect fails Prompto in the worst way possible. 
  22. Copying -It didn't matter if it was just another hallucination from Ardyn; Prompto saw himself in that MT.
  23. Argue/Arguing - He hated seeing them argue, and wanted more than anything for things to be the way they were.
  24. Lens - He adjusts the lens carefully, as if the picture will be ruined if it's a single centimeter out of place.
  25. Bell - "I wonder if they've ever thought of the name Choco-Bell for that thing." 
  26. Arrest(ed) - Prompto sure didn't envy the poor suckers that got caught by the Hunters.
  27. Havoc - Prompto still has nightmares about Leviathan.
  28. Tool - He sometimes wondered about the MTs; did they have feelings, or were they just unfeeling tools?
  29. Blanket - Prompto hogs the blankets every time he's in a hotel.
  30. Fancy - While it was beautiful, he felt a bit out of place when they first approached Qualtin Quay.
  31. Dash - What he lacked in physical might, he always made up in speed.
  32. Away - As he told them ~~(what)~~ who he really was, he wanted nothing more than to be far away from the situation as possible.
  33. Syndication - He's almost certain that there are people all over that are watching the chaos on TV - what would they think?
  34. Champagne - Every time they're together like this, he can only describe his emotions as bubbly.
  35. Note - Several notes echo in the hallways as Prompto sings to himself.
  36. Physical - It was hard getting the weight off, but he kept at it.
  37. Dull - Noctis noticed how Prompto's attiitude had dulled since the train.
  38. Frozen - The snow bit at his face, but it was better than what happened in the train.
  39. Stumble(d) - Famous for it in childhood, Prompto always gets a little nervous when he gets weak in the knees.
  40. Hunt - "Prompto, if you sing 'we're in the money' when we're approaching this target,  _I swear-_ "
  41. Gibberish - Seriously, how does getting confused transition into spilling a secret like that?
  42. Camp - He won't ever admit it, but sometimes the nights where they camp out seem better than the ones in a hotel.
  43. Weak(ness) - Sometimes, it's crystal clear that he's the weakest out of the four of them.
  44. Bargain - Haggling is not Prompto's strong point. 
  45. Alcohol - When he comes to, the first thought on his mind is why he felt like he was hung over.
  46. Wind - The breeze is nice....except for when it messes with his hair.
  47. Temptation - When he thinks about it, there's a lot more he could have said on that rooftop.
  48. Eighteen - He just turned eighteen and he's fairly certain that this is going to be the worst year of his life.
  49. Bottle - "M' not a wine person myself, but I guess the bottle looks okay."
  50. Rhythm - Prompto is without a doubt the heart of the team; providing fun and energy when the others needed it.




	2. Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As he told them of his origins, he wanted nothing more than to be far away from the situation as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I wrote this thing a little before I wrote the sentences, so I may as well post it on here. Spoiler alert for chapter 13 of the game.

>  " _So, as it turns out....I'm one of them."_

The more Prompto talked, the more he wished he could stop. He wanted to step as far away from the situation as he could. If he could, he would have gone back in time, back to when the most he had to worry about were getting attacked by bugs and crawling through cold caves. Hell, even getting kidnapped by that snake daemon was preferable to _this._

But there was no going back now; he had already granted them access to the control panel. It'd be odd if he could magically open up doors like this without a proper explanation, right? Besides, they deserved to know; he told himself this much. He knew that telling them was the way to go, but did the situation have to be so _scary?_

He always felt like he didn’t belong, and now that he knew what he was…that was confirmation that he didn't belong, wasn't it? And…now they’d know it too. The thought made his eyes well up, but he pushed through it. He had to. It was best that they knew...but it was their possible reaction to the news that scared him the most. Despite his origins, Prompto didn't _want_ to hurt them, to make their lives miserable. 

They knew that... _right?_

> _"Still...you guys are like...the only friends I've ever known. I just hope that things can stay the way they were."_

As he spoke, he prepared himself for the worst. He didn’t want to lose them; all the laughs they shared, the memories, even the tears…he hadn’t wanted to let that go. The thought of losing them - the only friends he’s ever known - broke his heart. 

He couldn't take the words back now; now they knew. Now, it was out of his hands. All Prompto could do was cling to the hope that they wouldn’t push him away. He wanted _so badly_ to return to the way things were. To keep that friendship, even with the knowledge of what he is...that was what he truly wanted, in the end.

Prompto would have understood if they rejected him, though. Loneliness was something he was all too familiar with; he knew he’d be heartbroken, but all he had to do was tell himself that he was used to loneliness before. ~~Even though it would be a blatant lie.~~

> **_"Since when does where you came from matter to you? You never once treated me as a prince."_**

The words blew him away. He had imagined this scenario over and over again in his head, but nothing could have prepared him for that. All Prompto could do was stare as they entered the room. 

They accepted him. All of them did. Not even one cruel word hurled at him. It took everything he had and more not to break into tears. Not out of sorrow or sadness but out of relief. He still had his friends. They knew what he was now, and they accepted him anyway.

_Please, **please** don’t let this be a dream. _

He wouldn’t cry now, though. Maybe later, when all this was over. He had plenty of time to cry like some kind of loser later. Once they found the Crystal, he could shed as many tears as he wanted.

~~He had no idea that he would definitely be shedding tears that night, and for an entirely different reason.~~


	3. Silent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unless he's sleeping, Prompto normally can't stand silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I played Episode Prompto for the first time. It kinda stomped on my heart for a bit, but I'll be fine. This is just a very short thing that takes place in what I believe is the very first rest area the DLC provides? Before the confrontation with Verstael.

Prompto never really liked the quiet. If things got too quiet, he would usually sing or hum a little song to himself. The quiet reminded him a little too much about his childhood; all the lonely nights to himself eating takeout and looking at the pictures he had taken. Even after he made the commitment to change and managed to befriend Noct, he wanted to leave the quiet days for good.

It was different here, though. As he sat by the vending machine, the silence almost seemed a weird blessing. This was a rare moment of peace in the chaos. It'd be hard to sleep with the sounds of bullets and explosions still ringing in his ears, but it wasn't like he planned to sleep anyway. On top of the risk of getting captured if he fell asleep, he had way too much on his mind to even _consider_ it. All the recordings and papers that he had found...how could anyone do something like that?

And that wasn't even taking into consideration the tape he just listened to. About the kidnapped infant. That one bugged him to no end, no matter how hard he tried to deny it. That infant couldn't have been him.... _right?_

Prompto wasn't naive; there was no way he wouldn't find out. Especially since Ardyn...

A soft growl escaped him as he stood up, instantly angered by the thought of him. He had done so much to them already; it was like he couldn't think of enough ways to mess with them. To mess with **_him._**

_Wasn't it enough that he ruined everything?!_

Break time was over. There was no way he could sit still at the thought of his friends and how they had been hurt. ~~Never mind how _he_ felt about it...~~

He approached the door, only to get jumped by an MT. With a single gunshot, the break was over; the MT lay disintegrating and Prompto steeled himself for the next confrontation. 


	4. Redecorate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He knows that it's probably out of the question, but he gets the chocobo decal anyway.
> 
> Or; Prompto is easy to read, especially when he's sleepy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I've only gotten into this game a week or so ago and I'm writing one-shots. Look at me go.

This was _probably_ a waste of gil. This was also probably something that the others would never get behind. Noct and Gladio might get a kick out of it, but he was fairly certain Ignis wouldn't approve. It cost a good amount of gil, and there might be a little objection to the very idea of having a cute feathered mascot on the side of a car. And that's not even getting into the possibility of it being on the Regalia; something about royal appearances or something like that?

Prompto understood all of this, and he bought the chocobo decal anyway.

How could he _not_ get it, though?! He was never ashamed of his fondness for chocobos (despite the endless teasing from Noct and the others about his hairdo), and it was such a cute picture too! Even if it never got placed on the car, that wouldn't stop Prompto from dreaming. He was a simple man with simple pleasures, after all. 

There were a few laughs when the others discovered the purchase. There was a bit of light-hearted teasing from Noct, and Ignis was...well, Ignis. He didn't seem like he disapproved as much as Prompto thought he would? In fact, if he didn't know any better, he would have assumed that he was amused, too.  

And Gladio...he seemed resigned. He handed over a small bag to a very smug Noct and - wait a second.

That meant-!

"You two made a bet on me getting this thing??" 

"It's an easy bet," Noctis responded, giving him a friendly punch on the arm. "The day you don't get something chocobo-releated is the day that Garulas will sprout wings and fly."

Prompto may have turned a little red at the teasing; he'd never admit it later. 

* * *

Despite all the talk of decals and paint jobs, customizing the Regalia hadn't crossed any of their minds until there had been a massive wave in Imperial ambushes. It got to the point where there were ambushes at least two times a day. 

At first it was Prompto's idea to make the change.

"If the Regalia's a different color, maybe they'll overlook us? Maybe...?" He let the question trail off. Already the suggestion sounded _so dumb._ It made so much more sense in his head, and it was only after he made the suggestion that he realized that it may not be a good plan. 

To his surprise, the others agreed. It even led to a long discussion in the caravan. Prompto had a little trouble paying attention to all of it; he had been fighting off the urge to get to just doze off right there. He was tired, but he wanted to be awake for this. 

Despite all the options available to him, Prompto couldn't bring himself to suggest that they use the chocobo decal. He _wanted_ to, but he was worried that they'd think less of him for it. Would it be a childish request? Where would it even go, anyway? 

It didn't stop him from glancing over at the decal whenever he thought nobody else would notice.  

* * *

He wasn't sure when exactly he dozed off. It was getting a little late, and they had been fighting off monsters and MTs for a good part of the day, but he had no idea he was tired enough to actually fall asleep right then and there. In fact, it was the sunlight hitting his face that woke him up.

He groaned as he stretched his arms. He knew he was tired, but he didn't think he was so tired that he slept the whole night through. Geez, fighting things takes a lot out of a guy. Not that he'd turn back now to get out of it (far from it), but still...

He got dressed and stepped out of the caravan. He said good morning to the others (and Miss Cindy too!), and then he passed the Regalia.

He stopped and got a good look at the Regalia.

The color was completey different (a shade of royal blue) and even the interior was colored differently (white), but there was no mistake it was the same car. At least, if you look at it up close. He couldn't say the same for when someone looked at it from a bird's eye view, but Prompto could only guess.

That is, if he hadn't noticed the chocobo decal on the car. It was small and on the door to the front seat, but it was definitely there. 

His reaction could only be described as mix between a gasp and a squeal. That was followed by him scrambling back towards the caravan, because what else could he do after that but hide?

~~He'd later find out that it was partially Noct's idea to get the decal on the car. When he was asked, Noct would tease him about being easy to read. _Again._~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got the idea to write this the moment I saw that you can get chocobo decals. I absolutely had to write it.


	5. Copying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It didn't matter if it was just another hallucination from Ardyn; Prompto saw himself in that MT and it led to a scary realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few spoilers for Episode Prompto in this chapter. Trying to get into Prompto's line of thought in one particular scene, that is. If you haven't played it, please read at your own discretion.

One moment it was an MT reaching out to him. It started with a twitch of the arm, and he could only watch as its hand reached out to him.

The next, Prompto was looking at _himself._ The sight shocked him to his core, and he had to look away and steel himself before looking again. The image of himself was gone, but the MT was still reaching out towards him. 

He had an idea as to why he saw that image of himself. Ardyn seemed to delight in messing with him in particular the past few hours; why else would he have had that vision? But it did make Prompto think; what was it like inside that armor? Was it the same as that man - was there a daemon in there, corrupting someone on the inside? Is that why the armor covered them so completely, so nobody would know? Is the reason why it wasn't attacking because...did it want...

Slowly, he aimed the gun at the MT. It was surreal; before all this happened, there was little hesitation or thought into striking down MTs. He'd just shoot and help any teammate that might be having trouble without any second thought. But now....now the gun seemed heavy in his hand, and he knew that his hands were shaking.

For a few agonizing moments, he couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger. Knowing what was probably inside tore at him. Even if there was some kind of daemon in there, couldn't there any way to get rid of it while sparing the person inside? Prompto wasn't a scientist by any stretch of the imagination, but...there _had_ to be some other way. There had to be.

_What would I have wanted if it was me?_

The thought crossed his mind before he could stop himself. The realization came just as suddenly, and it felt like a punch to the stomach. _That **could** have been me._

If the Lucians hadn't taken him as a baby, he _never_ would have had the life he's left thus far. If it was any other child that was saved, it may have been _him_ struggling inside the armor and reaching out like this. What was it like to be in that armor? Did it hurt? Was it constant pain?

Ardyn's words come back to haunt him: **_Innocent souls, fated to suffer._**

At that thought, he steeled himself and tried to keep his hands steady as he aimed. What other way did he have? He wasn't a scientist by any stretch of the imagination. What other alternative did he have? 

_I'm sorry._

He would beat himself up mercilessly for it later, but he thanked his lucky stars as he pulled the trigger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....I've thought a lot about that scene today. I might edit it later, but this is the general gist of what I think was going on in that scene.
> 
> I just like to think of it as the moment it hits Prompto that he avoided his initial fate as an MT if that makes sense? Like, I think that this is the starting point to his realization that despite his origins, he's his own person. The child scene is what really seals it for him because that's when he decides to go back and face his fears, but I like to think that MT part is super important in him moving forward, too.


	6. Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Prompto, if you sing 'we're in the money' when we're approaching this target, I swear-"
> 
> Or: four instances where Noctis gets annoyed by Prompto's singing, and one time he actually kinda likes it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...This WAS going to be entirely about hunting, but then I bumped into a video about the moments where Prompto sings silly songs and that kinda went out the window. 
> 
> This took forever to get out. This one-shot just would not agree with me. I tried to go at this one from Noct's POV so that may be why.

For a long time, hunting was basically the only source of income for the boys. The bounty from certain hunts would last them at least a day or two before it was spent on curatives, food and lodgings ~~(and decals for the Regalia)~~ , and then they'd pick up another hunt to repeat the process.

It definitely worked for Prompto. He was always chipper and energetic; always eager to get things going. If you were to look up the phrase, 'bright eyed and bushy-tailed' you would just find a picture of Prompto as the definition. 

Noctis, not so much. It was literally like night and day. Prompto was up with the sun, Noctis wanted nothing more than to sleep in. Sometimes he would get his wish, but not today; they had to wake up early to get to this particular target. 

Perhaps it was early morning irritation that made Noct speak up as they approached their target. He knew what Prompto was likely to do; while he didn't sing that song every time they approached a target, it was always a bit distracting whenever he did. And the last thing Noctis wanted in this particular case was something like that.

"Prompto, if you sing 'we're in the money' when we're hunting _I swear."_

The response was almost instantaneous; Prompto glanced back at Noctis, his mouth a bit agape (had he been planning on singing it this time?) and staring for a second before pouting, "Noct-!"

**_"Prompto."_ **

It was a tone that left no room for arguments, and Prompto knew it. He didn't sing it this time. 

Of course, it didn't stop him from singing that song the _next_  hunt they did. Oddly enough, Noctis had no objections this time.

* * *

Now, the previous conversation wasn't to say that Prompto was a terrible singer. In fact, he was actually _really good_ at it. If he was as confident in his singing as he was in his photography, who knows where he would be now? One would have to admit that the random bursts of song could be worse; Prompto could have been completely tone-deaf.

Most of the songs he sang were _so silly,_ though!

_"I want to ride my cho-co-bo all day~"_

Like this one, for instance. Given Prompto's love for chocobos, it almost seemed natural that he'd like to sing the _fucking theme song_. There was nothing inherently wrong with the song in general. It wasn't vulgar by any stretch of the imagination, and it was catchy. 

Scratch that. That was what Noct found slightly annoying about the song.

That song is an earworm. It's the type of song that just gets into your head and stays there for hours on end. It wasn't the idea of not getting a song out of your head he dreaded, but he would personally prefer to not have the Chocobo song stuck in his head. Just a preference.

The worst part is, Prompto never seemed to be aware that he was doing it in the first place! Whenever someone cleared their throats (or outright tapped his shoulder), he just seemed to startle before the air around them became silent.

And then, moments later, Prompto would just hum the song again. There were days when it was just a never-ending cycle, and it usually ended with Noct humming the song too.

Like he was now.

_Dammit._

* * *

Noctis hated getting poisoned, especially when they were running low on antidotes. Honestly, who would want to be in a shitty position like that? To make matters worse, this particular case seemed overwhelmingly powerful; even if the worst of it had gone away with the antidote he took, he was still feeling a little woozy and sick. 

Well. Either he was already starting to get sick before they fought that pack of Voretooths, or the poison was particularly powerful. Ignis insisted that it was the former, and Noctis was adamant that it was the latter.Whichever the case, they were staying in a caravan until Noctis felt better.

While Noctis rested, the other three were taking shifts on keeping an eye on him. Having drawn the shortest stick, Prompto was first to keep an eye on Noctis. For the most part, it was pretty quiet. Noctis tried to get as much rest as possible, while Prompto did his best to stay quiet. He busied himself by making sure his camera was still in good condition and looking through the photos he took throughout the day. 

Noctis was content with that. Honestly, he kind of preferred it when Prompto kept him company. Ignis would probably nag him about being more careful, and Gladio...would probably do the same. Not to say they wouldn't help him get better. It's just that they wouldn't card their fingers through his hair or sing him a song as he drifted off to sleep.....wait, what?

Oh no.

_"Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of - **waaagh!"**_

Prompto didn't even get to finish the song before Noctis pushed him off the bed. 

* * *

This exchange has happened more than once, usually when the four had been in a dungeon for Ramuh knows how long;

_"_ _This is the song that doesn't end-"_

**_"PROMPTO."_ **

"Alright, alright, fine! I'll be quiet."

* * *

 Most of the songs Prompto sang were absolutely silly.  ** _Most._ ** There were occasions when he wasn't silly about his singing, and if he could be honest with himself, Noctis never minded those times. 

Sometimes Noctis would catch him singing to himself as he searched through the photos taken during the day. He never minded those occasions; as previously stated, Prompto had a nice voice. 

This time it seemed to be a soft, slow song. Noctis didn't recognize the lyrics, but really...did he need to? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this got away from me at the end, but I can always go back and edit it, right?


End file.
